New Bowhunting Gear 2011: Part 2

January 17, 2011

What's the best bowhunting TV show? For 2011 Bowhunting World readers said the talented Archer's Choice team is responsible, led by the always-entertaining, well-traveled husband-and-wife duo of Ralph and Vicki Cianciarulo. This category is one of the most hotly contested in our yearly poll, and this win is a testament to all the hard work and long hours put in by the dedicated AC team. Congrats! From left: Ralph, Bowhunting World's Lee Hetherington, Vicki, and AC's Joe Rush. www.archerschoicemedia.com

Bowhunting World's Derrick Nawrocki, left, presents Realtree's Ray Lynch with a Bowhunting World 2011 Readers' Choice award for Camo Pattern, with readers submitting plenty of votes for the ultra-versatile Realtree AP, as well as the western-inspired Max-1, and more. Still another great pattern is AP Snow, which many of you will be donning this weekend in your quest for late-season big game and wily predators alike. www.realtree.com

Bowhunting World's Lee Hetherington, left, presents Carmen Forbes of Hunter's Specialties with a Bowhunting World 2011 Readers' Choice award for Scent Eliminator. The extensive H.S. Scent-A-Way lineup has long been lauded by our readers, and the line has expanded recently to include Scent-A-Way Tek 4 apparel. A great complement to the sprays and detergents, Tek 4 garments utilize state-of-the-art silver thread technology to permanently control odor caused by bacteria, while using 33 percent more silver than other available silver-based garments. Another cool fact? The odor eliminating properties last for the life of the garment. www.hunterspec.com

Lone Wolf Portable Treestands, which garnered a Bowhunting World 2011 Readers' Choice award in the Fixed Treestand category, made a splash at the Show by announcing production of its entire line of treestands has returned to the United States for 2011. "No one builds them like we can here," said Jared Schlipf, at left, co-owner and President of Lone Wolf Treestands. All Lone Wolf stand platforms have undergone a complete redesign for the new year, and the show also saw the unveiling of a new ultra-light (14 pounds!) climbing stand. www.lonewolfstands.com

Stump shooting and aerial target archery is great fun and gaining in popularity, and no company knows this more than Trueflight, which continues to offer some very unique Spiral-cut Flu-Flu fletching that effectively puts the brakes on arrows shot into the air. For more info on how to fletch your own flu-flu arrows, and for directions on how to make your own aerial target launcher, go to www.trueflightfeathers.com

Many of you will be participating in indoor archery leagues this winter, and some of you will take home trophies and other "custom gear" for your efforts. Where does an archery pro shop find archery-specific trophies and other custom logo wear, as well as pens, knives, and plenty of other doo-dads designed to promote the shop in question? Pillar Promotional Products, a new company, was established to help stock archery retailers with just this sort of thing, plenty of which can be found in the company's expansive 24-page catalog. For more info call (608) 757-8153.

Easily one of the most-progressive companies seen at the Show was Brunton, which is now under new management and arrived packing a trailerload of neat new innovation aimed at backcountry hunters everywhere. You've got to check out the company's versatile lineup of easily packable solar chargers (shown here by Brunton's Dani Schafer) as well as its complete lineup of premium optics (check out the Icon line) and navigation (compasses and the neat new Get Back GPS). Cutting-edge camping gear can now be found at Brunton's sister company, Primus. Check it all out at www.bruntongroup.com

Easily one of the hottest bows at the Show, PSE's new X-Force Dream Season EVO (shown here by PSE's Jon Shepley) offers up some serious speed at 345 fps, but with an incredibly smooth draw and feel that you've got to experience to believe. We did, and do. Unlike most other risers that flex side to side, the unique new Planar Flex Riser flexes back to front, greatly enhancing accuracy. The bow measures 32.5 inches axle to axle, with a 6-inch brace height. Check it out at PSE's helpful, cutting-edge website: www.pse-archery.com

Crossbows and accessories are experiencing a true revolution in innovation, and one of the best examples seen at the Show is the new Manta Crossbow Case from bow case specialist Plano. This rugged yet affordable design has been engineered to fit virtually every crossbow on the market, helped along by a very cool extendible, retractable "tail" section that is nothing short of genius. So your case is never any bigger than it has to be. www.planomolding.com

The new Radical Hunter Series of optics from Alpen Optics celebrate the company's new partnership with renowned bear and whitetail hunter Dick Scorzafava (left). Included is the new Apex 494 10x42 Binocular, which offer BAK4 glass that is fully multi-coated, including a PXA phase coating for clear, bright images with superior resolution and color fidelity. They're also waterproof (sealed and nitrogen filled) and offer lightweight, ergonomic styling with a popular roof prism design. Better yet They come with Alpen's lifetime warranty. www.alpenoutdoor.com

Trophy Ridge took home a Bowhunting World 2011 Readers' Choice Award for its near-foolproof Whisker Biscuit that is a proven producer for many of you. But that doesn't stop this company from innovating. Not a chance. One of the coolest rests at the Show was the company's new Revolution, which offers a whole new take on a full-containment, drop-away design that is not only cutting-edge, but very affordable as well. It's a rare combination that all bowhunters need to check out. Find out more at www.trophyridge.com

Most of you know that Hoyt's new Carbon Riser bows are ground-breaking-incredible for many reasons, including their unusual combination of light weight, serious strength, and ability to absorb virtually all shock at the shot. We shot Hoyt's new Carbon Element and CRX bows at the Show and were amazed. Still are, in fact. Add another attribute: World-Record taking. We watched as Hoyt's Jeremy Eldridge, left, was presented with a replica of the new SCI World Record European Roe Buck, taken by Max Hunt. The 60-inch trophy is expected to crush the current record of 49 SCI points. Congrats to both Max, and Hoyt. Read more at www.hoyt.com

Turkey season will be here before you know it...a great time to try one of the coolest turkey broadheads on the planet, the Bullhead from broadhead specialist Magnus. If you haven't seen this head, it's designed for the most lethal shot in turkey hunting...the head shot. More turkey and blind hunting innovation from Magnus is its new Ground Swat Tactical line of camo apparel. What's especially cool is the Eclipse line (jacket, long sleeve T and face mask) reverses from good-looking Ground Swat camo to solid black...ideal for use inside blinds. www.magnusbroadheads.com

Mike Mattly of Carry-Lite shows off one of the hottest concepts in deer decoys to come around in a while. The new Carry-Lite EZ Buck HD improves on standard decoys with an incredibly realistic "skin" created using high-definition technology. The "skin" is made from customized fade-resistant fabric that conforms to the realistic contours of the EZ-Buck HD's body. The decoy comes complete with removable antlers, realistic tail, stakes and bag. All parts fit inside the body cavity for easy transport. www.carrylitedecoys.com

Looking for a high-performance aftermarket bowstring? Some of the very best hail from Winner's Choice, which took home a Bowhunting World 2011 Readers' Choice Award. Here Bowhunting World's Jared Pfeifer (right) presents the award to Mike Slinkard (center) and company at the Winner's Choice booth. Using a proprietary weatherproofing process, the company makes strings and cables (that are guaranteed against serving separation and peep rotation) for virtually every modern bow made, in a wide variety of custom colors. www.winnerschoicestrings.com